Leaf guide for cigar filler feeds



Feb. 27, 1934. P, PETERSON 1,948,594

LEAF GUIDE FOR CIGAR FILLER FEEDS Filed June 5, 1933 FBGE Q 19 41 gal H vi 26 l l a we: Law .5 5g 16 L; 0 w

INV 1? 6 my ATTORN EY Patented Feb. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT FICE LEAF GUIDE FOR CIGAR FILLER FEEDS Pent-us Peterson, Hempstead, N. Y.,'assignor to International Cigar Machinery Company, a

9 Claims.

- would frequently strike the wheel, which would thus turn back or double the end of the leaf, thereby producing hard spots which impair the homogeneity of the bunch charges subsequently separated from the filler. Another disadvantage was the wear on the bottom belt guide plate due to the heavy compressor Wheel.

In the present invention, the reciprocating compactor plate is equipped with a hinged leaf guide which is suitably actuated up and down with the compactor plate. In this manner when the leaves are advanced towards the compactor plate, the hinged leaf guide descends upon the leaves and tends to lay the upturned ends of the leaves flat rather than doubling them back. Another advantage is that the leaves are not c-:-mpressed as hard by the leaf guide as when the compressor wheel was used. Thus the leaves after leaving the filler feeding channel are delivered to the cutting mechanism of the machine, in a more resilient form. With these and other objects not specifically mentioned in view, the invention consists in certain constructions and combinations hereinafter fully described and then specifically set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts:

Fig. 1 is a top View of the filler feeding channel showing the improved compacting mechanism; and

. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

In carrying the invention into effect there is provided a plurality of feed belts arranged to form a cigar filler feeding channel, of mechanism for driving said belts, vertically recipr0cating means for compacting the filler in said channel, and a device actuated by said means for laying down the upturned leading ends of curled leaves in the filler within said channel before they reach said means. In the best forms of construction contemplated said means includes a stationary pedestal, a compactor plate, a presser foot carrying said plate, linkage mounted on said pedestal and supporting said foot, and a reciprocating slide mounted in said pedestal and connected to said linkage to intermittently lower the compactor plate on the filler in said channel, and said device including a leaf guide hinged on the end of said ccmpactor plate and connected to said linkage. These various means and parts may be widely varied in construction within the scope of the claims, for the particular device selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the specific construction shown and described.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the frame 16 supports cross bars 11 which carry a feed table 12, the frame 10 also carrying a feed belt 13, and one end of he feed belts l4 and 15. A bracket 16 integral with the frame 10 supports the other ends of the belts 14 and i5, and the pedestal 17 mounted on frame 10 supports the cam shaft 18 and the fulcrum stud l9.

The filler tobacco is placed into the filler feeding channel formed by the horizontal feed belt 13 and the two vertical feed belts i l and 15, channel forming the lengthwise feed of a cigar filler feed of the type shown in the patent to Bronander, No. 1,740,571, granted Dec. 24, 1929. The horizontal belt 13 is supported by pulleys 29, 21, and 22, and an adjustable pulley 23, mounted on the frame 10. The vertical belts l4 and 15 are supported by pulleys 24 and 25 mounted on the frame 10, and by flanged pulleys 28 and 27 carried on the adjustable slide 28 on the end of bracket 16. The horizontal belt is driven through a sprocket 29 on shaft 30, and the vertical belts l4 and 15 are driven by bevel gears 31 which mesh with bevel gears 32 on shaft 30a, the bevel gears 31 being fixed on the shaft of the pulleys 24 and 25. The sprocket 29 on shaft 30 is driven by a chain 33, the other end of which runs over a sprocket on shaft 30a which is intermittently driven by suitable means such as shown in the patent referred to above.

The filler tobacco L progressively placed in the channel formed by the belts 13, 14., and 15 is intermittently advanced and passes between a of stationary guides 34 and under a leaf guide plate 35 and compactor plate 30 on which the leaf guide is hinged.

' During a dwell in its forward motion, the filler tobacco is subjected to the action of the leaf guide 35 and the compactor plate 36, the latter pressing it together to give it sufficient body to sustain the subsequent operations. The compactor 36 is fastened to a presser foot 3'7, which is suspended by the links 38 and 39 from the bracket 40 of the pedestal 17, the joint of the aforesaid links being connected by links 41 with a slide 42. The lower link 39 is made adjustable in length by a turn-buckle or similar means, so that the height of compactor 36 and thereby the resulting density of the filler charge may be regulated. The slide 42 is mounted in a track of pedestal 17, and is moved up and down by the cam lever 43 fulcrumed on stud l9 and controlled by a cam 44 on shaft 18 through a roller 45.

The hinged leaf guide 35 is suspended from a link 46 connected to one end of a horizontal bar 47, the other end of which is carried by the link 39. In this manner, the cam 44 while actuating the compactor 36 also actuates the leaf guide 35 to cause it to lay down the upturned leading ends of any curled leaves before they reach the compactor.

The horizontal bar 47, one end of which is rigidly secured to the toggle link 39 is sufficiently resilient to yield under abnormal strain such as that resulting if the operators hand gets caught under the plate 35, Without causing injury to the operator.

The present construction, while it has other uses, in its preferred embodiment described is employed in a cross feed for feeding a tobacco stream crosswise of the main feed of a cigar machine, and operates to compact the tobacco stream to enable it to be projected forwardly from the rear over the main feed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cigar filler feed, the combination with a pluraliy of feed belts arranged to form a cigar filler feeding channel, of mechanism for driving said belts, vertically reciprocating means for compacting the filler in said channel, and a device actuated by said means for laying down the upturned leading ends of curled leaves in the filler within said channel before they reach said means.

2. In a cigar filler feed, the combination with a plurality of feed belts arranged to form a cigar filler feeding channel, of mechanism for driving said belts, vertically reciprocating means for compacting the filler in said channel, and a device actuated by said means for laying down the upturned leading ends of curled leaves in the filler within said channel before they reach said means, said means including a stationary pedestal, a compactor plate, a presser foot carrying said plate, linkage mounted on said pedestal and supporting said foot, and a reciprocating slide mounted in said pedestal and connected to said linkage to intermittently lower the compactor plate on the filler in said channel, and said device including a leaf guide hinged on the end of said compactor plate and connected to said linkage.

3. The combination with vertically reciprocating means for compacting filler tobacco, of a device actuated by said means for laying down the upturned leading end of curled tobacco leaves in front of said means.

4. The combination with vertically reciprocating means for compacting filler tobacco, of a device actuated by said means for laying down the upturned leading end of curled tobacco leaves in front of said means, said means including a stationary pedestal, a compactor plate, a presser foot carrying said plate, linkage mounted on said pedestal and supporting said foot, and areciprocating slide mounted in said pedestal and connected to said linkage to intermittently lower the compactor plate on the filler tobacco, and said device including a leaf guide hinged on the end of said compactor plate and connected to said linkage.

5. The combination with vertically reciprocating means for compacting filler tobacco, of a device actuated by said means for laying down the upturned leading end of curled tobacco leaves in front of said means, said means including a stationary pedestal, a compactor plate, a presser foot carrying said plate, a vertically reciprocating slide mounted in said pedestal, and a link pivoted to said presser foot and linked to said pedestal and slide, and said device including a leaf guide hinged on the end of said compactor plate, and a bar having one end fixed on said link and having its other end linked to said leaf guide.

6. In a cigar machine, means for feeding a stream of tobacco in a horizontal path into the machine, a vertically reciprocating presser plate for compressing a portion of the stream, a plate hinged to said presser plate and extending rearwardly thereof to guide leaves under said presser plate, and mechanism yieldable when an obstruction under said hinged plate is encoimtered for giving said plate swinging movement about its hinge line.

'7. In a cigar machine, a cross feed for feeding a stream of leaf tobacco crosswise of the main feed of the machine, a vertically reciprocating presser plate for compressing a portion of the stream, a guide plate movable relative to said lpresser plate and extending rearwardly thereof to guide leaves under said presser plate, devices for reciprocating said presser plate, and a bar connec'ed to said devices and said hinged plate normally to operate the latter to press the leaves, said bar being resilient under abnormal strain to yield if the operators hand or other obstruction gets under said hinged plate.

8. In a cigar machine, a cross feed for intermitiently feeding a stream of tobacco crosswise of the main feed of the machine, a vertically reciprocating presser plate for compressing the forward end of the stream to facilitate projecting the stream from the rear over said main feed, a plate hinged to said presser plate for movement relative thereto and extending rearwardly thereof to guide the leaves under said presser plate.

9. In a tobacco filler feed for cigar machines, the combination with a horizontal feeding channel, of means for feeding a stream of tobacco along said channel, a reciprocating presser plate for contacting a portion of said stream, a guide plate pivoted adjacent the entrance end of said presser plate, means alternately swinging said plate downwardly to press down projecting leaf portions in the stream, and upwardly to inclined position to act as a funnel to guide leaves under the presser plate, said channel having vertical wall portions coacting with said guide plate to close the said funnel.

PONTUS PETERSON. 

